Aroma visualization from community tastings
By The Dutch Batavia Arrack
First surprise: this Indonesian arrack smells more like smoky, earthy whisky than rum, thanks to red-rice fermentation and teak-then-oak aging. Expect overripe banana and pear on the nose, then a dry, spicy, faintly medicinal, almost anise-like palate. Several tasters find it thin and hot at 48% neat, but bartenders swear by it as a split in Mai Tais and punches.
The community says- Very dry character
- Flat and thin
- Hot alcohol neat
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Buy By The Dutch Batavia Arrack:
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The look inside the bottle
How does By The Dutch Batavia Arrack taste?
Aggregated from 92 community reviews.
Dry, smoky arrack, best split in cocktails Polarizing. Some enjoy the dry, spicy, whisky-like character; many find it flat, chemical, and too alcoholic neat. Where it shines is as a cocktail splash, not a sipper.
Cocktail makers and fans of dry, funky, whisky-adjacent spirits
Anyone wanting a sweet, full-bodied sipping rum
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
37 of 92 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is By The Dutch Batavia Arrack rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 5.8 sits in the “Average” band. 16% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 33% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
34% rate it between 6 and 8. 19 selected write-ups from 92 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
definitely a great product in the barrel-aged arrack range and a nice example of how smooth and damn dry arrack can be, but also not for everyone... I like it very much in Ruby Punch, Mai Tai and Corn'n'oil and as a surprise for people who don't know Batavia arrack. I especially like making rum penicillin cocktails with it!
Review by bossi
Blindverkostung: eine aromatische Nase: süß, grasig, frisch, fruchtig – Anklänge von Weißwein und Getreide. Am Gaumen auch sehr fruchtig und auch eher die exotischen Früchte: Maracuja und Papaya, eine leichte aber präsente alkoholische Schärfe, die aber etwas verwässert schmeckt. Ich würde hier einen Rum aus frischem Zuckerrohrsaft aus einer Pot Still vermuten, würde dafür aber nicht meine Hand ins Feuer legen, da ich mich in diesem Bereich nicht allzu gut auskenne. Er ist aufjedenfall aromtaisch-schwer, auf der anderen Seite aber für mich noch etwas jung. Ein paar weitere Jahre im Fass hätten ihm mit Sicherheit gestanden. Der Abgang ist länger als vermutet und sehr würzig/kräuterig mit etwas Anis. Ich tippe hier auf einen jungen Rum aus Haiti mit ungefähr 50%. 76 Punkte
Review by Thibaud Valentin
Je met cette note car originale ( un peu "tourbé" type whisky ) met pas de la a achete une bouteille
Review by Joël
The first thing I think of when I smell it is a whisky (I'm not a whisky drinker, I've tried a few but it doesn't suit me). So earthy, smoky and spicy, not really my thing. Due to the 48%, the taste is not so deep, but the finish is surprisingly long. For the price of 40 euros absolutely OK in my eyes, there is definitely a lot worse for which more is demanded. Let's see how much I drink neat and how much ends up in cocktails.
Review by Serge
New Year's resolution ... Tasting the dusty bottles at the back of the shelf. And like every time I sip it here: it's not that bad. I lived and worked in Indinesia for a long time and was used to far worse arrack. The fermentation with the red rice is special and you have to like it. This is definitely one of the better ones and can be enjoyed on its own. For me, however, it also scores particularly well as a split in punches and cocktails. What bothers me a little here is the smoky cereal note, which tends towards scotch. And I hate scotch
Review by Cédric Meyers
Au nez très mielleux, un petit côté riz cuit, un peu végétal, fruit tropicaux. Très agréable et doux. En bouche on a étrangement un côté très anisé, un peu pimenté. Le végétal est présent sans trop ce faire remarquer. Ce qui me dérange c’est le côté alcool quand même fort présent pour ma part. Bon sans plus, une belle découverte quand même.
Review by Gryffx
am Gaumen besser als in der Nase, Birne und Holz im Abgang
Review by benoit burger
Nice nose of very ripe fruit ( banana pear ) a little ester and a light brine. Unfortunately, not much happens on the palate: the alcohol is very present (too much so), with a slight woodiness and some vegetal notes, but overall rather flat. Average length.
Review by Tim
This rum smells as if it were better not to drink. A very chemical component accompanied by honey and fruit. It is best to let it breathe for some time. With some overcoming in the mouth, then much better with a dry, spicy, smoky and slightly fruity experience. Some similarity to Jamaica rum is there, but convince this rum can not.
Review by Lutz Lungershausen
Certainly a good blender for fresh, light summer drinks - otherwise rather flat and weak.
Review by Émile Shevek
Too strong and unbalanced, with no pleasant aromas or notes except light years away
Review by Oliver
Not my taste
Review by Stefan Persson
This Indonesian rum is molasses based and distilled in pot stills. During the fermentation they use some red rice in the yeast. After distillation it’s aged in teak barrels before transported to the Netherlands where it’s transferred to oak barrels. The final blend consists of rum aged 8 months, 3, 5 and 8 years. The finish is medium long mostly depending on the alcohol content. I was expecting a lot more flavor of arrack and overall I think that everything is much too weak to catch my interest.
Review by MJ72
Lösungsmittel mit leicht undefinierter Würze nach Harz. Flach im Geschmack, dennoch mild für 46*. Wenig Ausgeprägte Noten. Abgangs kurz und sprittig.
Review by Tyler Griffith
Reminds me a bit of the Stiggins Fancy from Plantation. A little spice, very dry.
Review by Anonymous
Sharp, spicy
Review by Pascal Gwada
Aucun intérêt, ou alors mon palais n'est pas assez éduqué à ces rhums arracks à vocation de finir dans un cocktail. On dirait un blanc sans insipide qui aurait passé 1 semaine en fût blanc.... Pas "mauvais", mais sans intérêt.
Review by Rado Vito
Well, what do we have here? Indonesian rum. Ok, now I have no expectation. The taste is weird, almost like medicine. No, I don´t like it.
Review by Morgan Garet
I don't like it at all, it reminded me of a vinaigrette.
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Details about By The Dutch Batavia Arrack
A rum from Indonesia, bottled by By The Dutch, at 48%.
Community purchases
33 bottles logged by 32 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
42% opened, 4 emptied and repurchased.
33 purchased · 100 tasted · 9 wishlist · as of
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